Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-10-21
WOMEN and DRESS.
Ella Wheeler on Modern Fashions in
Dress How Women Should
apparel Themselves.
What Men Like Most In W0men's Dress.
American Women Dressing
Better than Formerly.
Oscar Wilde's Infiuence-The Prevailing
Street Fashions UDcomforts bIe-CoTsets
Ruinous to Beauty and Health.

Rulnons to Beauty and Health.
= Every woman ought to dress in a man
loves. Next to the saving of her owl
soul, it is the most imperative duty Of he
i. life.
II she loves no man, then she shoul(
, endesvor to be c0mely 10 the sight of he
friends and associates. Whenever g VIC
? man is dainty and careful in her dress sht
helps to refine the tastes OF those about
her.
!, So long as she keeps these objects il
, view, she is justified in the use of what
| ever time and money her situation may
demand for the purpose. When she
ignores these points, and dresses to out
J vie her neighoOr, she is indulglng in soul
less extravaganza.
wife ought to mske a careful study
of her husbands tastes in dress, and ap-
, psrel herself accordingly. In order to do
: this, would advise her TO keep tablet
ct nard on which 10 jot down his fatter-
ing comments on other ladies' costumes,
or to make 6 memorandum of the toilets
which won his sdmiring glances. In this
way many wife would gain a fairer es-
timste of her husbands tastes than by
trusting to his comments on her own
. dress.
If a woman knows that she cannot
afford to wear as rich clothing as some of
her friends, or that she oyertaxes and
embarrasses her husband in the effort, she
, is guilty of an On inexcusable folly, 81.
most crime If she insists upon it. The
garment which has 10 be obtained by
coaxing or tears, and paid for by Sleep
less nights OF WORK, can never bring the
wearer happiness or success. Better to
be clothed in sack cloth.
Young men declare they cannot afford
to marry noWsdsy because girls are so
extravsgant. They may blame them
selves for much of this extravaganza. 1t
is the well-dressed women on whom they
bestow their attentions and their compli-
ments.
Through the thin wall of hotel partI-
ton was the involuntary listener not
long ago to q conversation between two
young men. They were discussing the
young ladies with whom they had be-
come acquainted during the summer.
"You just ought to have seen the girl
met at Lake George" said one. "Her
dresses fitted like the paper on the wall
No lady there could compare with her ID
Istyle "
think as a rule, however, that it does
not require extravagant expenditure to
produce pleasing effects for the opposite
sex. Men like well-ftted garment, in
the prevsing fashion, and in becoming
Colors. Only the dudes and statesmen are
experts in judging of expensive materials
and elaborate finish.
l heard gentleman rave over LADY,
costume one day, and pronounce it one of
the most effective and elegant he had
ever seen. 1t was simple serge, but
exquisitely fitted aud drsped, snd the
color was exactly suited to the wearer.
His wife, who frowned st his rhapsodies.
and no doubt wondered at his taste, was
attired in an expensive silk, overturned
and clumsily made, and of hideously
unbecoming shade.
know two girls: one is daughter of
wealth, who wastes a fortune on dress
every year. l say wastes, because she
throws her money away recklessly, ruins
a garment quickly, and is seldom neatl '
dressed. The other girl wears inexpen-
siVe materials, is scrupulOuslY neat and
careful, and on one twentieth OF the money
expended by the heiress she is better ap-
parelled and more pleasing to the eye.
American women dress in for better
and more distinctive taste than theyIdid q
decade Of years ago. Individuality in
! dress is becoming more potent than
fashion.
| Few of US realize to whom thanks is due
for this welcome innovation.
We made sport of Oscar Wilde, yet we
owe him almost as great debt of graft
tude as we owe to the centennial cele-
bration of 1876. He told the American
woman to study her personnel, and to
adapt her garments to her Gown particu-
lar style" He told her to dare to be
artistic; and the effect of his words in
creasss with each passing year.
No woman ever ought to make aspur
chase OF even print or cambria morning
dress without pausing to think whether
it suits her style. II she is tall aud sal
low, she does not need to Increase her
height and her sallowness by pale b5Ge
stripe! Leave that for the short blonde,
and purchase crimson check, or q plain
dark blue. X 81
1t was the Creators original intention
that all women should be ieir to look
upon. Ugliness and deformitY are the
results of wrong methods of living and
thinking, and il is in our power to greStly
augment or modify these misfortunes by
our methods of dress. 1t IS noble art,
and should be studied like any other of
the arts.
1t is useless to deny the fact, and we
may as we'll be frank about it, our gar
ments for the street are uncomfortable
and inconvenient. But what are We going
to do about II? Only the fortunate pos
SCISSOR of perfect forms and faces can
look well in unfashionable attire. Per-
feet beauties are few, and even they pre-
fer to increase their charms by attractive
costumes.
Men are qui K to note with sppreciative
glances, or ready words OF admiration,
fresh and stylish toilet. They are quick
to deride and ridicule woman who dares
to be independent of fashion.
So long IS mankind finds fashionable
garments the attractive ones, so long wo-
mankind will strive to keep close to
Dame Fashion, mo matter how she pinches
US, pricks US, drags US down and over |
loads US.
l believe the corset is ruinous to the
real beauty of the female figure, and to
the health of women. All the long de- |
fences Of it ever written, ell the disserta-
tions on the "support" it gives the wesrer,
all the certificates of "perfectly heslthy |
and long-liveo" women who have been
brought up from the cradle in
stays, will never convince any